Knowledge hubs shouldn't be converted into dens of anti-national activities: Sudeep Nagarkar

Nagarkar, whose first book Few Things Left Unsaid was published in 2011, graced the occasion of the book launch at the Starmark Mani Square bookstore in the city last week.

The story of the latest book, Our Story Needs No Filter, has been inspired from the nationalism movement and the controversy which erupted in the Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU).

Speaking about the book, Nagarkar said: "The book talks about the untold stories of the universities though it has a backdrop of friendship, love and romance but then it will talk about those issues which are probably not highlighted anywhere though such stories exist inside the university."

"The book is inspired from the JNU protest that happened but then it will not preach one in any way. It will tell one humanity is above all these religion and basically it is a love story and a story of friendship," he added.

The controversy erupted after a Dalit Phd scholar Rohith Vemula committed suicide in January 2016, months after the University of Hyderabad  reportedly stopped his fellowship following his slogans under the banner of Ambedkar Students Association (ASA).

A year before his death, Vemula and four other activists were found to demonstrate against the death penalty of Yakub Memon, a terrorist who was convicted in the 1993 Bombay bombings case.

Asked about taking a stand on the nationalism debate, Nagarkar told IBNS: "As a normal citizen, I personally feel that the knowledge hubs shouldn't be converted into dens of separatism and anti national activities but then we see a lot of student politics these days are driven by the political parties and thrive on these things and try to divide people inside the universities be it in IIT Madras, Jadavpur University or JNU for that case. These things should not happen."

Justifying the title of the book with the story line, the author said: "As the protagonist of the book is manipulated and brainwashed from the wrong ideologies, the book talks about these things. Gradually till the end of the story, those wrong ideologies go out of his life so that is why it talks about our story needs no filter. Wrong filters go out of his life."

Nagarkar has so far written eight novels and the list includes Few Things Left Unsaid, That's the Way We Met, It started with a Friend Request, Sorry,You're Not My Type, You're the Password to My Life, You're Trending in My Dreams, She Swiped Right into My Heart and All Right Reserved for You.

The book is priced at Rs. 199/-.

(Reporting by Souvik Ghosh, images by Souvik Das).